Artificial-fuel briquettes



Patented @ch 3, T922,

WALTER WILLIAM STRAFFGRD, OF HAMPTON-ON-THAMES, ENGLAND.

ARTIFICIAL-FUEL BRIQ'UETTES.

N 0 Drawing.

To all 10 from it may concern Be it. known that VVALrnn WILLIAM STRAIT- ronn, of Parkbrook, l-lampton-on-Than1es, Middlesex, England (Whose post-office .address is Parkbrook, Hampton-on-Thames, Middlesex, England), and a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial-Fuel Briquettes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved fuel formed from anthracite, coke and other suitable carbonaceous materials, and has for its object first to obtain an improved product of high calorific value which will ignite and burn readily in ordinary grates furnaces and the like, second to provide a fuel so compounded that during the process of making it, coal tar forming one of the ingredienm may be distilled and the resulting pitch frac tion and free carbon deposited in the fuel formed, and, third to produce at comparatively low cost a firm, dense smokeless fuel capable of being handled and transported with the same facility as ordinary coal.

The solid carbonaceous materials which are used are reduced to a fine state and mixed with an alkaline earth metal compound or compounds preferably barium carbonate mixed with a proportion of charcoal. This mixture together with an admixture of tar in sufiicient quantity to bind the particles together is then introduced into a retort and heated to a temperature from 400 to 1,000 degrees centigrade.

Owing to the presence of the barium carbonate between which and the carbon there appears to be catalytic action the coking process is accelerated and the nature of the solid fuel product shows a marked improvement as compared with those now in use.

When this artificial fuel is made, the sifting or screenings of dry steam and anthracite coals, gas Works, furnace, or blast furnace breeze or ashes, are used separately or together and ground to a suitable degree of fineness.

Application filed April 11, 1922.

Serial No. 551,642.

A mixture composed of barium carbonate and charcoal in the proportions of two parts of barium carbonate to three parts of charcoal by weight is added to fine coal dust in the proportion of 3 to 12 per cent. of the barium carbonate-charcoal mixture to 88 to 97 per cent fine coal dust and five per cent by weight of the resulting admixture, is added to the previously ground mass, and evenly distributed throughout the same by further mixing, after which sufficient crude or refined coal or water gas or blast-furnace tar is added to uniformly coat the solid particles and bind them together.

Next the material is retorted in any suit able way, air being excluded and the temperature being raised to the point Where the solid particles become firmly bonded into a uniform coke matrix; the hardness of the product being regulated according to requirements ofthe fuel, by varying the temperature of the retort.

The solid fuel product obtained as described has a high calorific value, is smokeless, and ignites readily from wood, burns in any furnace or ordinary fireplace, leaving a residue of fine ash.

claim:

1. An artificial fuel comprising ground carbonaceous material, a binder consisting of a combination having coal dust as its principal element and as an auxiliary element a combination of barium carbonate and charcoal, and tar.

2. An artificial fuel comprising ground carbonaceous material, a binder amounting to 5% of the weight of said carbonaceous material, said binder being from 88% to 97% coal dust and from 3% to 12% a mix ture consisting of 40% barium carbonate and 60% charcoal, and tar to hold the ground carbonaceous material and materials of the binder together.

In testimony whereof he has afiixed his signature.

WALTER W ILLIAM STRAFFORD. 

